Taking care of your teeth should always be your priority; however, many parents and legal guardians have problems teaching their children about the importance of teeth care because they simply don’t understand how dangerous not taking care of their teeth can be.
How can you help them? This is a question many have asked, and if you want them to understand why teeth are important for their general health, then you should follow some steps, as this can be really challenging, believe it or not.
Talking with your teen about teeth care shouldn’t be you judging them, and you shouldn’t even wait for something to happen to have this conversation. Many teenagers nowadays aren’t quite aware that not brushing their teeth from time to time can have dangerous consequences. Just have a casual talk and go through important things:
- Ask them whether they know why healthy teeth are crucial for their overall health. Make sure they understand that teeth aren’t only important for their look, but play a crucial role in their health because teenagers sometimes tend to forget this, and skip their dentist appointments, thinking that since they don’t see any changes in how they look, everything is all right.
- Discuss how to determine the type of products they need. They have to understand that dental products aren’t one-size-fits-all, but are rather adjusted for different needs, and they need to know how to find the products that suit their needs.
Encourage them to follow regular check-ups
Make sure they understand the importance of dental check-ups, and encourage them to never miss them. Why is this important:
A dentist can recognize potential problems on time. Make sure they don’t wait for some problems to occur to go to a dentist, because it can be too late by then, or they can experience far more serious issues. Find a good local dentist, and follow their advice on what and when to do something.
Don’t trust anyone, because one wrong choice can result in serious difficulties, especially with teenagers. For example, if you’re from Show Low, Arizona, and your teenager is struggling with wisdom teeth and needs them removed, then you should look for professionals who offer wisdom teeth removal in Show Low, AZ, but before everything, make sure to check whether they have experience, and always check other patients’ reviews. Follow their further advice, and don’t let your teenager miss an appointment, thinking that they know better than the dentist what’s best for them.
Create a daily routine
You should keep a distance, you don’t want them to think you’re controlling them, and you don’t want to annoy them, because this way they’ll never establish healthy habits. You should interact with them, go step-by-step, and be there to help them build a routine. What should this routine look like?
- Brush at least twice a day.
- Use floss when brushing teeth before bed.Â
- Use a breath freshener at least once a day.
To keep them motivated, they can make a monthly list and check what they have done that particular day. This will inspire them to continue doing it and will help them build healthy habits slowly.Â
It’s not only about brushing their teeth, but it’s also about what they consume…
Sometimes, it’s not enough to remind your teenagers to brush their teeth, because they consume unhealthy food when they shouldn’t. What to do in such a situation? What you should remember is that you can’t ban unhealthy food, as it is everywhere, but you can limit it.
- Prioritize fruits and vegetables over sweets and unhealthy snacks.
- Make sure they consume enough water, especially after eating something unhealthy.
- Advise them not to eat snacks after 20h.
- Prepare food rich in vitamins that support their health and teeth.
All this can be in vain if you’re not well informed…
Usually, when talking about not being able to encourage their teenagers to take care of their teeth, parents forget that they have to start from them, and that they need to get well-informed if they want their children to understand the importance of teeth care.
You have an unlimited source of information on the Internet now, so use it to get to know how to recognize potential teeth problems with your children and what to do when you notice them. For example, you should be able to recognize when your teenager needs dental corrections because if you don’t take some steps on time, it can be too late, and they might end up never achieving their perfect look. Get informed, consult a dentist, and then talk to them about it because they can’t do it all on their own.
Talk to them about their unhealthy habits on time!
If you notice that they’re doing something that can affect their dental health, don’t hesitate to talk to them about this on time, because the more you wait, the bigger the consequences become. This includes cigarette smoking, vaping, or even piercings. How to address these problems:
- Make sure they know what consequences they can expect from such unhealthy habits.
- See if the dentist can do something about this, especially for grinding the teeth, as this can cause serious damage.
- Warn them a few times if necessary, be supportive, and tell them that this can damage the overall look of the teeth, can cause yellow or broken teeth, so that they understand the seriousness of the situation.
Teeth care must be a part of everyday routine because teeth can be sensitive, and just a small mistake can lead to serious and irreparable damage. Teenagers sometimes don’t understand the importance of this, and instead of stressing them out, talk to them with a supportive tone.
Teenagers tend to be obsessed with their looks, so don’t hesitate to use this as one of the reasons why they should take regular care of their teeth, because this might be the biggest reason for them to start doing this. You should think like a teenager if you want them to understand that you just want what’s best for them.
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